Bomb threat closes much of downtown Monterey for the afternoon

Much of downtown Monterey was cordoned off for about two hours this afternoon starting about 2 p.m. when someone tried to rob a Bank of America branch and made a bomb threat, Monterey authorities said.

Two suspicious packages were left on city streets, said Douglas Holtzman, Monterey's assistant library director. The Monterey County Bomb Squad investigated and detonated two suspicious packages at Munras and Webster and Pearl and Washington streets, he said.

A suspect is in custody and being interviewed by police, Holtzman said. The suspect's vehicle was inspected in the Calle Principal Parking Garage, he said, and no suspicious items were found.